Method of and means for use in extinguishing oil or gas well fires



May 11 1926. 1,584,534

J.G.HANNA METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR USE IN EXTINGUISHING OIL OR GAS WELL FIRES Filed August 21, 1923 Patented May 11, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. HANNA, or DUNEDIN, FLORIDA. I

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR USE IN EXTING'UISI-IING OIL 03 GAS WELL FIRES.

Application filed August 21, 1923. SeriatNo. 658,583.

This invention relates to means for extlnguishmg 011 and gas well fires, and particularly to means for extinguishing these fires by blowing out the fires by the explosion of a charge of dynamite.-

VVhere oil or gas wells are on fire, it is the present practice to put out the fire by one of four methods; first, pumping mud into the well; second, lowering a steel box over the flame; third, smothering the flame in a cloud of steam shot at the well from all sides by a battery of portable boilers; and fourth, blowing out the flame by the puff of a dynamite explosion in close proximity to the burning well. This last method is accomplished ordinarily by erecting towers at diametrically opposite sides of the well, stretching a cable. between the towers, drawing a charge of dynamite upon said cable into a position closely approximating the burning well, and then exploding the dynamite.

carried upon a cable for the reason that this supports the dynamite at a height of from 10 to 20 above the ground and it has been found that it is necessary that the dynamite should be supported at this height in order to extinguish the flame. This method of extinguishing fires is slow. and costly, for the reason that the derricks must be erected, the cable must be stretched between the derricks, and a traveler of some kind mount-ed upon the cable so as to dispose'the charge of dynamite in such position that an explosion thereof will blow out the fire. The erection of these derricks takes days and often weeks and during this time the loss due to the burning oil is very great and there is, of course, always the chance that some adjacent oil well will catch on fire, particularly where the oil wells are closely adjacent.

The object of my invention is to do away with this costly manner of extinguishing these fires by providing a method ofbringing the dynamite or other explosive into proximity to the well, which does not require the erection of derricks, which may be very quickly done and by which the charge of exploding material may be brought into the exact position required without trouble and at very little expense, and which involves an apparatus of great simplicity and cheapness. i o

A further object is to provide an apparatus for the carrying out of this method which, as before stated, is very simple and cheap, which may be easily transported to the fire, which may be readily brought into position adjacent the burning well, and

which will be thoroughly effective for the lVhile I do not wish to be limited to the use of a sled-like frame mounted on skids or runners, I believe it preferable to use such a frame for reasons which will be later stated and I have illustrated such a frame, in which 10 designates the skids or runners which may be of any desired number and which are upwardly turned at their forward ends so as to pass over rough ground, and 11 designates an open frame mounted upon these skids or runners and of any suitable construction.

Pivotally mounted upon this frame, which is to be relatively wide so as to secure a sufficient base, are the booms 12. These booms are preferably two in number convergently disposed and pivotally connected to the frame 11 at 13. The upper ends of the booms carry pulleys or other suitable means for the support of a wire 14 which passes over the forward ends of the booms and in turn supports a charge of dynamite, designated 15. The rear end of the frame is preferably counterbalanced, as at 16, so that the weight of the charge will not be able to tip over the sled or frame. A hauling cable 17 is attached to the forward ends of the runners or in any other suitable position, and guide cables 18 are attached to the rear of the frame and extend laterally therefrom.

A frame so constructed is extremely light and may be cheaply made of angle iron or channel iron and may be readily hauled by an ordinary car or by draft animals if de sired. When an oil well'catches on fire, this carriage is to be drawn or carried adjacent the fire and placed in position opposite the burning well. The hauling cable 17 may then be carried around the fire, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, to the position 13 which is diametrically opposite the position A where the carriage or frame is disposed. The hauling cable is then hauled taut and the carriage is drawn forward into proximity to the well, the carriage being slewed to the right or to the left as the case may be and thereby guided into proper relation to the well by the lateral guiding wires 18, these guiding wires being handled by assistants. lVhen the carriage has been brought into proper position, as illustrated in Figure 1, the dynamite is ready to be detonated. The dynamite may be detonated by any suitable means. I do not wish to be limited to any particular means for this purpose, as electrical means might be used or a trigger might be used. Preferably, however, there is an electrical detonator 22 used which is connected to the charge 15 by means of the usual insulated wires 21, and after the carriage has been brought into proper position with the dynamite disposed in proper relation to the well to blow out the flame, the electrical detonator is operated and the charge is exploded. Of course, the carriage is wrecked by the blast but this is of small moment in view of the fact that the blast will, as is very well known, positively blow out the flame, thus saving thousands of dollars due to the tremendous loss involved in even the smallest oil well or gas well fire.

It will be seen that any fire in an oil field where one of these carriages is kept ready for action may be put out in an hour or so from the moment is starts and without the delay and expense necessary in hauling materials, building towers or derrieks, and getting up a cableway. This operation, it may be stated, which is relatively costly, is considered cheap by operators if the fire is successfully put out.

Under some few circumstances, oil well derricks are placed so close together that it would probably be impossible for a hauling cable to be carried around the well, as indicated in Figure 1. Under these circumstances a light wire may be shot across the well by means of the ordinary line throwing gun such as is used by life savers, or a shoulder gun for the same purpose. Thus a light line may be thrown across and then the main cable hauled across relatively close to the line of the burning well. At the present time, where a cableway is used for the purpose of hauling the dynamite into position over a well or where steam is used, the cable must be drawn closely to the well or the cables must be used to drag the steam pipe lines up close to the well, and in actual practice this is usually done by a man dressed in heavy asbestos, who makes a quick dash across the heat zone with a pilot wire, and thus the cables are eventually hauled across the heated zone in proximity to the well. Obviously a man dressed in asbestos would be able to carry a light pilot wire across from the carriage to the hauling point if it was found impossible to carry the cable around or impossible to use a line throwing gun.

It will be seen that the carriage is very simple and inexpensive and that the procedure used in putting out a well fire is very simple .and may be very quickly accomplish-ed. lVhile I do not wish to be limited to a carriage having skids or runners, as a wheel carriage might be used, yet inasmuch as the ground adjacent oil wells is very much cut up and rough, a carriage having runners will ordinarily be found more practical than a carriage having wheels. It is necessary to use a boom, derrick or mast upon the forward end of the carriage so as to support the dynamite or other explosive at a suitable height above the ground, this height being preferably be tween 10 and 20, as it has been found in actual practice that this is necessary in order to blow out the flame.

lVhen the apparatus is inactive and when it is being drawn to the fire, the booms 12 are turned backward and rest upon the carriage 11 and then when a position approximating the fire is reached the booms are raised to the position shown in Figure 3 and held in this position by the cable 14 after a charge of dynamite has been supported upon the booms and the electric wire from the detonator connected to the charge.

I claim 1. A method of positioning an explosive charge adjacent a burning oil or gas well consisting in supporting a charge of explosive on a carriage in more or less proximity to the burning well, carrying a hauling cable around the burning well from said carriage to a point diametrically across from the carriage, and pulling the carriage into position close to the burning well where the charge may be exploded.

2. A method of positioning explosive into proximity to oil and gas well fires consisting in supporting a charge of explosive upon a carriage having ground-engaging members, and moving said carriage over the ground into a position closely approximating the burning well.

3. A means for use in extinguishing oil and gas well fires comprising a carriage having a boom, means for carrying an explosive upon the boom, a hauling cable attached to the forward end of the carriage and of a sufiicient length that the carriage may be hauled into proximity to a burning well, lateral guiding cables attached to the sides of the carriage, and means for exploding the charge of explosive when the carriage has been brought into proper position.

4. An apparatus for use in extinguishing oil and gas well fires comprising a carriage having a boom mounted upon the forward end of the carriage, means for carrying a charge of explosive upon the forward end of the boom, a hauling line attached to the forward end of the carriage and of suflicient length to permit the carriage to be drawn into proximity to the burning well, guide lines attached to the sides of the carriage and extending laterally therefrom whereby the carriage may be shifted laterally, and means on the rear end of the carriage counterbalancing the weight on the boom.

5. An apparatus of the character described comprising a light carriage having runners, pivoted convergent booms mounted upon the forward end of the carriage, means for supporting a charge of explosive by said booms at .a substantial height from the ground, means for exploding said charge, a hauling cable attached to the forward end of the carriage and of suflicient length to permit the carriage to be drawn into close proximity to a burning well, lateral cables attached to each side of the carriage and extending laterally therefrom whereby the carriage may be shifted laterally, and means on the rear end of the carriage for counterbalancing the weight of the booms and charge.

6. A method of positioning explosive in proximity to burning wells for the purpose of extinguishing the same which consists in conveying, by a uidable ground-engaging conveyor, said exp osive to a position adjacent the well and at the height necessary above the ground to blow out the flame.

7 An apparatus for use in extinguishing burning wells by an explosive blast comprising a carriage adapted to move over the ground and having means for operatively supporting the explosive at a height above the ground, and means for operatively positioning the carriage in close proximity to the burning well and including guiding means operable from a distance.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

JOHN G. HANNA. 

